PRACTICES 33 hurdle as Plumber . Proving my time served with the apprenticeship years was easy as I had been registered . Having employed qualified plumbers and apprentices stood well and I was given my test date . All went well until they handed me the half-round gutter with outlet and stop-end questionnaire . It was instant game over . Come ' 93 , I was ready . I passed and I continued plumbing . Did well until I made the mistake of partnership .
BIFSA had an opening for a Plumbing Instructor as Fred Durheim , the very instructor who had failed me the first time and passed me the second , was retiring . I was accepted and spent the next two years getting the apprenticeship ready for the trade test and occasionally although seldom I tested some for their final assessments . I supplemented my income by working Friday afternoons as we got off early and on weekends .
I tried my hand at fire installations but quickly found that a cartel had embedded itself into the law , thereby cornering that market . It would not be the last time in my career that I would come up against something so inane .
I had become proficient at tiling and the tasks undertaken became more involved . Completing a total renovation contract opened a new chapter for me . I was approached to compile a ‘ How-to tile ’, including where to start , how to tile a wall , a floor , a pillar , and so on . A price was agreed upon and many a night was spent burning the midnight oil with my late wife typing furiously , arranging , punctuating , and adding drawings as we progressed . BIFSA became history and the manual was completed , delivered , and paid for . What now ?
Wasetech required hazmat technicians for short-term 30-day contracts for cleaning up obsolete herbicide and pesticides throughout Mozambique during that firefighter ’ s leave . Dealing with hazardous materials is what firefighters do every other day . Thirty days and ZAR15 000 was enticing but would not cut it for me . The contract would take nearly a year , so twelve months and ZAR180 000 tax-free sounded about right . I approached the Operations Manager for the contract and requested to be part of the full-time member team . I was a qualified firefighter , a hazmat technician and to top it off , a plumber . Someone needed to be responsible for the water purification plant , augment and purify the supply , maintain the Kitchen and Ablutions as well as safely dispose of the contents in the “ nagkar ” at sites acceptable to the authorities . I was in . Nine months , many kilometres and cleanups later we came home . I was thirty-nine years old . Hazmat in a Level A or B suit under the African sun cannot be considered fun by any measure .
I have lost an eye and nearly a leg . I have been told by doctors I am dying . I spent 1999 in and out of hospitals proving them wrong . In 2000 I weighed 45 kg but was alive . Interviewing for a plumbing post turned into opening a company that we named Plumbtime which was divided into sales , maintenance and construction divisions . Guess who was over the road ? Parkview Plumbing . Karl and the construction section were all that remained . The last time I looked only the retail section of Plumbtime was operational . In 2006 / 7 I returned to gut the Rosebank Hotel for renovations . good laugh at some of my plans and I think purposefully threw a spanner between the spokes to see my reaction . The years have taught me much without opening a book .
Currently , I am working on high-rise drainage that has been problematic for twenty-two years simply due to incorrect venting and my other site has been demolished by fire . Fun under the African sun .
At a function recently I was asked by a very good plumber – one of the heavy punchers in our industry – why I am still hands-on . I laughed and jokingly asked what else I am going to do . It is not that . It is the autonomy that being a qualified plumber offers me . I set the bar height that measures the fruits of my labour . I earn my success with my blood and my sweat . I pay for my mistakes with my tears and my money . It is all up to me . I own my success and my failure . I couldn ' t and wouldn ' t want anything more . I enjoy what I do .
My advice to anyone considering self-employment is to put together a business plan . Understand the difference between turnover and profit . One is sanity , the other mere vanity . Separate your home and work life . Your family comes first , they need you . Charity starts at home . Go away , go fishing . Sunday or whatever day , allocate it as theirs and theirs alone . Your second family will be your preferred supplier or suppliers . Pay your suppliers . You need them . Never be unethical as it is a small world . Say what you mean . Mean what you say . Get insurance and an assurance broker to protect yourself . Learn to quote for ‘’ go ahead right now ”. Get your deposit now . If you are only going to be making 20-25 % of the total then get a 75 to 80 % deposit now , even if structured . Do not let other people make their problems yours . Trust your gut , it is seldom if ever wrong . Cross your t ' s and dot your i ' s . Learn to say no quickly . Straight talk has never broken a friendship . If you don ' t get it right the first time . Take your pain . Three fingers are pointing back at you . If someone fiddles you out of money blame yourself – you let it happen .
To those entering the trade , I would say welcome to the journey of your life . It is not an easy trade by any means . Physically and mentally , the fun never ends . I am sixty-three , still learning and doing daily . Plumbing has allowed me to be nineteen till the day I die . If you asked me whether I would do it again the answer would be yes . Definitely . Your greatest asset is you , so get fit , eat well , sleep well , and drink a lot of water . I have paid for and studied many books over the years . Today information in general is at your fingertips , the answer received will be according to the wording of the question . Never stop questioning . Knowledge is power . Have fun , make friends , and influence people . What you know in life will get you far but who you know will get you a lot further .
In years to come when I consider myself old , I will stop and reflect but for now , I am focusing forward , I am meeting wonderful people , going into fancy buildings , and plumbing them . When my time is finally up and my days numbered , I intend to come to a screeching halt in front of St . Peter at the Pearly Gates asking , “ What now ? What next ?” PA
Some years have become milestones and others have meshed . Time flies when you ’ re having fun . Much water has flowed under the bridge and I have completed many a site , industrial , commercial and residential . Many of my business ideas have gone belly up . The plumbing gods had a damn
“ Trust your gut , it is seldom if ever wrong .”
May 2023 Volume 29 I Number 3 www . plumbingafrica . co . za